All patients attending Smethwick Dialysis Centre are outpatients, attending from and returning to their home.

Dialysis is provided in small bays of eight patients (which are mixed sex bays), or side rooms. If you do not wish to dialyse in a bay with other patients of the opposite sex, please discuss with your dialysis nurse and they will try to arrange an alternative for you.

If you need to change your dialysis day or time, either as a one-off to allow a particular appointment, or as a more long term change, we will do our best to accommodate this. For one off changes, please inform your named Nurse or the nurse in charge well in advance. You may occasionally also be asked if you mind swapping with another patient to accommodate his or her request. Any longer term changes of dialysis slots will also be accommodated if space becomes available.

We welcome all visitors to the centre and understand that you may wish to bring family or friends with you to the centre from time to time. It is important that all visitors understand that there may be times when it is not appropriate for them to be in the clinical area and that they then may be asked by staff to move to another area such as the waiting area for a short period of time. We expect all visitors to abide by any safety notices or requests from staff, that they are respectful of other patients and that they do not cause disruption to treatment.

Assure Promise

Excellent care is a two-way relationship built upon a foundation of trust between healthcare professionals and their patients. The Assure Promise is an agreement between the patient and us that sets out the ways in which we will contribute to delivering the best dialysis care.

For full details of the Assure Promise, please see the 'About Assure' page.

• About Assure

Bring with you:

• Any medications you will require during the time you are away from home
• Any special supplements and foods to eat while you are on dialysis
• Any books, magazines, newspapers or other activities which you could safely manage whilst on haemodialysis
• Any new instructions from home or your GP for the staff including any change in medications or any discharge letters if you have been in hospital

We will provide individual patient televisions and free internet access which you may use during your treatment. You may wish to bring your own headphones.

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) has a wide range of patient information leaflets relating to all aspects of kidney disease and its treatment. A selection of these are provided within the waiting room along with a list of all that are available. Please ask your named nurse or consultant if you have particular questions or would like a leaflet that is not available to you. All patient information is also available on the renal section of the UHB website.

• Renal patient information (UHB website)
• Welcome pack – your guide to haemodialysis at Smethwick Dialysis Centre  (PDF – 1.61 MB)

Other useful sources of information include:

• The National Kidney Federation
• NHS Choices
• The Kidney Patient Guide
• Dialysis away from base (DAFB) frequently asked questions  (PDF – 0.44 KB)

Queen Elizabeth Hospital Kidney Patients’ Association (QEHKPA)

We welcome the support of the QEHKPA, which provides help and advice to kidney patients of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB), their carers and family. This includes both home and unit dialysis patients and transplant patients. The QEHKPA is a registered charity that raises funds for equipment to help improve a patient’s experience. The charity also offers support to research projects at QEHB and funds patient outings and holidays. See the QEHKPA website for further information about the charity and links to other helpful sources of clinical information. The Kidney Matters newsletter is published regularly by the QEHKPA and provides information to patients and members of the charity.

• Queen Elizabeth Hospital Kidney Patients’ Association

Renal News is the renal dialysis service bulletin that keeps you up-to-date with developments in our dialysis programme and how you can find more information about our new units. The last five issues of Renal News are available to download below. If you would like copies of previous editions, please visit the UHB website.

• Renal News

The centre is close to Smethwick high street, so is easy to get to. Full details of the centre location are available on the 'How to find us' page.

• How to find us

• There are a number of buses (routes 54, 61 and 854) that stop very close to the building on Rabone Road
• Smethwick Rolfe Street station is just a short walk away
• The Midland Metro tram is close by
• There is ample free parking for patients directly outside the building
• Patient transport will be provided for those in need

We value open and honest feedback from patients and we actively encourage patients and their relatives to take part in satisfaction surveys. We see every compliment, suggestion or complaint as an opportunity to learn, make improvements or highlight good practice.

We recognise that we don’t always get things right and we very much welcome any comments or suggestions on ways we can enhance the service we deliver. If you have any concerns or complaints about your care or suggestions for future improvements, please discuss these with the lead nurse for Smethwick Dialysis Centre in the first instance.

You may also speak to the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). PALS, which is based at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, offers impartial advice to patients and relatives to resolve issues informally and to handle formal complaints. They also collate feedback, compliments and suggestions to help us improve our service. If you or someone acting on your behalf wishes to give feedback, raise a concern or make a complaint, the PALS will support you in doing this.

Email: PALS@uhb.nhs.uk
Telephone: 0121 371 3280

Formal complaints

Should you, your relative, or someone acting on your behalf, wish to make a formal complaint, please do so by contacting the Complaints Department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. For details of the complaints procedure, see the hospital’s website.

Complaints Department
46F Nuffield House
Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Birmingham, B15 2TH
Telephone: 0121 627 2950
Email: Complaints@uhb.nhs.uk

• How to make a complaint (UHB website)